Thursday, April 24, 2014

Another Weary Night on the Dance Floor Part 1

Welcome to the Lost Stories from the Circle C Archives. I've found some original Andi stories I wrote YEARS ago. Some I've recycled for published stories (you might even guess which ones sometime). Others I might salvage for future stories. However, for one reason or another they have never been submitted in their current form. What I'll present every once in a while is a "scene" from one of those lost works.

I thought it might be fun for fans to see the "oldies." Nobody else but readers from this blog will have that dubious privilege, so enjoy! This scene is from a nameless book, and the scene is close to the beginning of the story.

Premise: After Andi and Cory find a wounded man by the creek, they drag him to the ranch, and the Carters put him up in their guest room. Trouble is, he's been gunshot, so suspicions rise as to how and why this happened. Chad figures he's some kind of outlaw or shady character, so he insists the fellow has got to go. To make matters worse, that very night, the Carters have to attend a fund-raiser auction/dance, which Andi balks at. She despises these social gatherings but is forced to attend and behave like a young lady.

Okay, here you go:

Another Weary Night on the Dance Floor: Part 1 (of 2)

The Ladies’ Aid
Society’s fund-raiser at the Fresno House
was lavish and well-attended. The hall had been cleared away of the tables and
chairs after dinner, the auction had gone without a hitch, and now the
orchestra was playing as numerous couples moved gracefully around the floor in
a waltz.

In fourteen-year-old Andi’s opinion
it was high-time her family got on home. All the important things—namely the
auction and the pledges for donations—were finished. There was no logical
reason to hang around town any longer. In addition, the injured young man Cory
and she had found this afternoon lay back home, in the Circle C’s guest room.
It didn’t seem right to dump him on Luisa and Nila.

No, I found him. I want to take care of him.
There was something about the young man’s haunted eyes that made Andi feel like
she’d rescued a sad, hurting animal. She glanced at the clock. Ten o’clock. She
groaned. Long enough, for sure.

Andi had endured
Virginia’s and Patricia’s company for as long as she could and was happy to see
they were off dancing to their hearts’ content with the Baldwin twins.

She knew it would
be her turn soon. She paled at the thought and glanced around quickly for one
of her brothers. “Traitors,” she muttered softly when she spotted them. They
seemed to be having a wonderful time dancing with Fresno's numerous available
young ladies. Andi watched Melinda waltz by on the arm of Jeffrey Sullivan and
rolled her eyes heavenward.

“Excuse me, Miss
Carter.”

Andi whirled at
the voice just above her ear. She smiled grimly at the sight before her. It was
Oliver Jansen, slicked up and polished, wearing a ridiculous grin on his long,
narrow face. The young man attended Fresno Prep, the private boys’ school
across town. Other than passing the imposing brick structure on her way north,
Andi knew nothing about it. Well, she did know one thing, she corrected
herself. She’d heard the boys from Fresno Prep were insufferably conceited.

She clenched her
teeth, not wanting to confirm or deny this fact. “Yes?” she answered politely.

“Would you care to
dance?”

“No, thank you.
I’m waiting for—”

“Nonsense!” Oliver
interrupted her excuse by grabbing her by the arm and leading her out onto the
dance floor. She had little choice but to follow if she didn’t want to make a
scene. When I get my hands on Mitch, I’m
going to give him an earful!

“Well, aren’t I
the lucky one tonight?” Oliver croaked in glee as he swung his reluctant
partner around the dance floor. He was an excellent dancer and very proud of
his ability.

“How so?” Andi
asked half-heartily. She wished the music would stop so she could extract
herself from this young man’s clutches.

“I do believe I’ve
gotten the first dance with you, Miss Carter. Isn’t that right? Art Jennings
bet I wouldn’t get the chance before one of your brothers stepped in. What is
it with them, anyway? Surely they have better things to do than spend all of
their time dancing with their baby sister.”
He laughed, and Andi grimaced. “I wouldn’t be caught dead dancing with my sister,” he went on, rolling his
eyes.

“Why not?” Andi
honestly wanted to know. She knew Amanda Jansen. She was always polite and nice
to Andi when she happened to meet her on the street, but a bit too giggly for
Andi’s liking. Besides, Amanda was just back from finishing school and lived in
town. Andi had nothing in common with her.

“Why not?” Oliver repeated, a shocked look on
his face. “Why, she’s . . . she’s . . . the ugliest girl in town and rather
silly, in spite of the money Father has spent on her schooling. Look at her
over there, trying to be the belle of the ball, when there are quite a few young
ladies much prettier than she is.”

“That’s not very
nice,” Andi blurted, stopping in her tracks. She watched Amanda swirl past on
the arm of Zach Morton, the son of another rancher. She looked like she was
having a good time.

Which was more
than Andi could say about herself.

Oliver grinned and
didn’t miss a beat. He continued to propel his partner around, merrily chatting
away. “Oh, Miss Carter.” He shook his head. “She’s nothing like you.”

“You don’t even
know me,” Andi protested. And if you
don’t shut up, you’re not going to want
to know me. She glanced around, searching for any brotherwho could
deliver her from this intolerable situation.

“That’s what you think. I do my homework. I hear
you’ve got a mind of your own, and I can see for myself you’re real pretty.” He
smiled. “Not to mention the fact your family is the richest in the entire
valley. I’m sure we could become good friends once we get to know each other.”

“I wouldn’t count
on that if I were you.”

“Miss Andrea! May
I call you Andrea?” he continued without waiting for a reply. “There are many
parties going on this spring—clear up through the fall. Then there’s the
governor’s inaugural ball next winter. With my father helping with the
governor’s campaign—as is your brother Justin—I expect both our families will
get an invitation to the ball.”

“You’re very well
informed, aren’t you, Oliver?”

“I make it my
business to be.” His voice dropped and he pulled Andi a little closer. “I plan
on seeing a great deal of you this season. You’ve grown up. I haven’t heard
you’ve been thrown in jail lately for wrecking the water trough with the town’s
scruffy boys.” He grinned at Andi’s furious look. “And I heard all about how
you saved your brother’s life last summer and brought home all the bank gold.
Quite an adventure, yes? I think you’ve grown up enough for me.”

Just then, a light
tap on his shoulder interrupted Oliver. It was Jason Wright, another Fresno
Prep snob.

“My turn, old
man,” he announced with a wide, toothy smile. Jason stood a head shorter than
Oliver. His vest buttons were nearly popping with the effort to keep his
generous girth tucked in.

Oliver snorted. “I
don’t see how. This dance isn’t half over.”

This is a nightmare! Andi moaned
quietly.

“I’m cutting in,
Jansen.”

“Get lost,
Wright.” Oliver steered Andi away from the chunky, fuming young man. He held
her possessively and grinned at his success. From the look on his face, Andi
knew he’d had his sights set on Andrea Carter for a long time. If he was
persistent, he probably reasoned, he could win her over in the end.

In your dreams, Andi thought. She bit
her lip from saying anything out loud. Will
this dance never end?

She was beginning
to think the night would never end, when another young man tried to cut in on
Oliver. “May I?”

Mitch’s voice was
a welcome sound to Andi’s ears, but Oliver frowned.

“No, you may not,”
came his churlish response.

“I’m sorry, young
man, but I really must insist,” Mitch repeated a little more forcefully. “I
always dance with my sister at least once so she won’t feel lonely.” He smiled to
take the sting from his words.

Andi reached out
for his hand, and Mitch whisked her away and onto the middle of the dance floor.
As she twirled, she saw a very unhappy young man staring after them in
disappointment.

“Mitchell James
Carter!” Andi began in a furious whisper, “Mother promised you’d look after me
tonight and keep me from the Fresno Prep vultures. No sooner is my back
turned and off you go, dancing with all those other girls.”

Mitch looked
contrite. “Forgive me, Andi. I got saddled with Josephine March’s granddaughter
from St. Louis. She talks a mile a minute and I couldn’t get away. I didn’t
forget you. Honest. I came as soon as I could.”

Mitch’s eyebrows shot
up. “Why, Andi! I’m surprised at you. Since when have you let something like
that happen if you didn’t want it to?”

Andi favored her
brother with a scowl. “Since I’ve grown
up,” she said sarcastically. “Mother wouldn’t like it if I made a scene at
a fancy party like this.”

“That’s true,”
Mitch agreed with a nod. “Well then, little sister, I applaud your
self-control.” He laughed softly at the look on her face.

“If you’re going
to keep teasing me, I’m not going to dance with you anymore.”

“Sure,” Mitch
replied lightly. “That will send you right back into the arms of Oliver
Jansen.”

“Mitch!”

“I’m sorry, sis.
Let’s go another round, then we’ll rest, okay?”

After that, there
was no more trouble from the prep boys. Andi contented herself with two more
dances at Mitch’s expense, two with Justin, and only one with Chad. He started
in on her about the injured stranger as soon as the music began.

“So, little
sister, I noticed you’ve got a real interest in our wounded stranger. Justin’s
going into town tomorrow to check with the sheriff.”

“Why?”

“A bullet in a
stranger. Seems pretty strange to me. Besides, it’s not a good idea for you to—”

“You are so
suspicious of everybody,” she argued. “Why don’t you give it some time and let
the poor fellow heal. Then—”

“Bringing a
strange, bullet-ridden man into our home is not exactly the wisest thing I ever
heard of,” Chad said, frowning. “It would be best if Mother made arrangements
to have him driven to town to stay at the hotel—”

“Chad!” Andi
gasped. “Who’d take care of him? I found him and I’m going to help him.”

“He’s not a stray
puppy,” Chad snapped. “You’d best—”

“I’m done dancing,
big brother. Thank you very much.” She rudely left him standing in the middle
of the floor.Go to Part 2

I''m sure it was very very hard for Andi to refrain from making a scene. After all, Oliver was polite and didn't do anything to warrant her hitting him or anything. LOL

Oh, the stranger is a bad guy named "Case" who has been hired to kill Mitch for some kind of revenge from another rancher. (but the family doesn't know they are harboring this killer, and Case doesn't know Mitch is his target yet. So, how can he kill a member of the family who saved his life, ummm?)

Yeah, don't you wish this story was finished? *grin*Never finished it, mostly because I didn't know how to resolve it. Thus, just the "lost scenes" for your enjoyment.

Get a Head Start!

About Andi

I'm the main character in 4 book series: Circle C Beginnings, Circle C Stepping Stones, Circle C Adventures, and Circle C Milestones. I live on a huge cattle and horse ranch in 1880 California. These are my adventures.